Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Academy

There is the matter of above reason. This is regarded as wanting to walk with his eyes shut, meaning that although reason and the senses do not understand what our sages tell us, they assume upon them faith in the sages and say that we must take upon ourselves faith in the sages, as it is written, “And they believed in the Lord and in His servant, Moses.” Without faith, nothing can be achieved in spirituality.

2. Zohar for All, Shemot [Exodus], "And a New King Arose", Item 84

Were it not for sages, people would not know what is Torah and what are the Mitzvot [commandments] of the Creator, and there would be no difference between man’s spirit and the spirit of a beast.

3. Maor VaShemesh, Parashat Shoftim

The degrees of Torah Lishma are innumerable, and one of them is that when rising at midnight, one should observe the reading of “She who dwells in the gardens, friends are listening to your voice; let me hear it,” which is to connect himself with the soul of the righteous in the Garden of Eden and unite with them to be refined in the pleasantness of engaging in the Torah, and tie his Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshama with the internality of the letters of the Torah, and connect them to Ein Sof, to unite the Creator and His Shechina. That, too, cannot be attained before he adheres to the righteous of the generation and knocks on their door each and every day. One who dusts himself with the dust of their feet sincerely, and hopes for the light in the light of Torah, then all that he did not attain in this lowly world, he will attain in the end in the Garden of Eden. This is the purpose of the pleasure of the next world: to attain the upper lights and enjoy the brightness of the Shechina.

4. RABASH, Article 1 (1990), “What Does 'May We Be the Head and Not the Tail' Mean in the Work?”

Man was given the reason and intellect in order to understand everything according to the intellect, and here we are told to walk by accepting faith in the sages, and a person wants to understand this path, and since as long as one is placed under the governance of the will to receive for himself, he cannot know what is good and what is bad, but must accept everything the way the sages determined for us, or dust and dirt will enter his eyes and he will not be able to move forward, but when we do not criticize the words of the sages and do not want to accept their words within reason, specifically by this we are rewarded with knowledge [reason] of Kedusha [holiness].

This is so because the whole reason why we need to go above reason is that we are immersed in self-love. Hence, through faith above reason, we are rewarded with vessels of bestowal.

5. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 40, "What Is the Measure of Faith in the Rav?"

One must trust the opinion of his rav and believe what his rav tells him. It means that one should go as his rav told him to do.

And although he sees many arguments and many teachings that do not go hand in hand with the opinion of his rav, he should nevertheless trust the opinion of his rav.

6. Baal HaSulam, Article No. 105, "A Bastard Wise Disciple Precedes a Commoner High Priest"

Through adhering to wise disciples, it is possible to receive some support.

In other words, only a wise disciple can help him, and nothing else. Even if he is great in the Torah, he will still be called “a commoner,” if he has not been rewarded with learning from the Creator’s mouth.

Hence, one must surrender before a wise disciple and accept what the wise disciple places on him without any arguments, but by way of above reason.

7. Baal HaSulam, Shamati, Article No. 187, "Choosing Labor"

A trial means that a person cannot decide either way, when one cannot determine the Creator’s will and the will of his teacher. Although one can work devotedly, he is unable to determine if this devoted work is appropriate or not, that this hard work would be against his teacher’s view, and the view of the Creator.

To determine, one chooses that which adds labor. This means that one should act according to one’s teacher. Only labor is for man to do, and nothing else. Hence, there is no place for doubt in one’s actions and thoughts and words. Instead, he should always increase labor.

8. Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, Noam Elimelech [The Pleasantness of Elimelech]

The righteous, by his righteousness, installs his good desires and thoughts in others, so they, too, will have the good desire to adhere to the Creator with all their heart. By installing the desire in others, it is already regarded as an act, since an act in others was made of the desire that he has. This is the meaning of the verse, “You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with desire,” since the righteous extends abundance to the worlds and to every person. And how does he do that? By installing his desire in others. It follows that they have all become righteous through him. By this he can extend upon them great abundance for the righteous is the one who seemingly opens his arms to the Creator in order to bestow upon the world. And with what does he open? The verse interprets, “and satisfy every living thing with desire,” by satisfying everyone with the desire to love the Creator.